I have enjoyed the YouTube channel of Mentour Pilot (https://www.youtube.com/c/MentourPilotaviation), in particular the series of videos on airline accidents and his very careful look at what happened and various methods that could be taken to reduce such accidents in the future. Concerning Sully's famous ditching into the Hudson... a great job with a wonderful outcome, but still look for potential improvement. Example: They should have switched from an "engine failure" checklist to a "ditching" checklist as they approached the Hudson. Terrrain proximity warnings were not helpful.
But he recently did a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzTs6T4ZTu4&t=1452s) that troubled me. It was a reaction video to an irreverent video of the "real airline safety video" that had been making the rounds of the internet, and I found much to object to in both the original and his reaction to it.
The basic point: The chances of dying in a commercial air crash are 1 in 11,000,000 per year. That is so small that it is not worth people's time to invest mental energy in preparing for such an event.
So you could argue that simply doing away with the entire concept of a safety video would be best. But suppose "we all" decide they should be made. The vast majority of flyers have flown many times, and their time is wasted listening to safety videos. Why not have safety videos optionally available in online reservation systems, kiosks in passenger terminals, a channel on the airplane's entertainment system? Maybe detect based on the wealth of data online if someone might be a a new flyer, and print something prominent on their boarding pass reminding them of how they in particular should look at the safety card in the seat pocket or the one on an entertainment channel. Save everyone the couple minutes of annoying yammering on every flight.
Another note was that most accidents occur during the first 3 minutes or last scheduled 8 minutes. The video suggests keeping your shoes on and your laptop stowed during those times. Why suffer discomfort and waste time during those minutes? They may be just 11 minutes, but your chances of dying are still in the 1 in 11,000,000 range.
Almost all accidents start with an emergency situation that is diagnosed many minutes before a crash -- ten, at least? That's plenty of time to stow your laptop, or put on your shoes, though I'm not sure how vital having shoes on is to your survivial. Plenty of time for people who are not frozen with panic to help out those who are or who don't know what to do by teaching them safety basics. Time to try out your seat belt buckle, making sure you know how to faste and unfasten it. Now you have a strong motivation to pay close attention!
"The frequency of occurrences necessitating the use of oxygen is approximately ten events per one billion flight hours." (https://www.cntraveler.com/story/what-you-dont-know-about-airplane-oxygen-masks#:~:text=%22The%20frequency%20of%20occurrences%20necessitating,per%20one%20billion%20flight%20hours.%22) Once again, amazingly unlikely. If only (say) 1 in 4 people know what to do and don't panic, they have time to get their own mask on and help the other 3 in 4 to get their masks on. If planes really do almost always get down to a safe altitude before brain damage begins, there's an argument for omitting them entirely.
There is also plenty of time to look around for the nearest exit, and to learn how to put on a life vest if needed (though the original video suggests we would be just as safe without them).
These are extremely unlikely events, and for every issue (including the safety video itself) we are concerned with the marginal increase in safety achieved by including or omitting it.
Some safety measures are useful because of events that are far more common and not fatal. You often are best advised to put your seat belt when turbulence is expected. But the PA announcement should be enough, perhaps supplemented by the advice of experienced flyers to new ones as to what is meant.
But actual safety is not the only thing at work here. People like feeling they are safe, and perhaps having a safety video increases their sense that they are safe(r), however irrational. But it's basically a superstition. Civilization has overcome other superstitions; why not this one too?
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